A Midwinter Night’s Dram: Act 11

A Midwinter Night’s Dram (Act 11)

Cost: $175 at local liquor store (South Carolina)

Age: NAS

Proof: 98.6

Mash Bill: A blend of 2 rye whiskies: 95% rye, 5% malted barley from MGP; 80% rye, 20% malted rye from HWD. Percentage of each is not disclosed. (NOTE: In case you aren’t aware, A Midwinter Night’s Dram is High West’s Rendezvous Rye finished in a mix of Tawny and Ruby Port Wine barrels.)

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn. This bottle is Act 11 (2023), scene 11 (the bottling sequence).

Appearance: A beautify dark ruby red. Giving this a little swirl, we get a nice syrupy ring that’s left around the glass with a mix of fat and thin legs that all appear fairly slow.

Nose: This is very different! I’m immediately met with a mix of sweet plums and raisins. After fixating on this very unique sweetness, I can pick up some anise and caramelized sugar. There’s a faint spiciness that I struggle to pin point as well, but almost reminds me of ginger. After nosing this bad boy for quite some time, I can pick up on some other subtle notes of chocolate and other baking spices. This is a very involved nose!

Palate: There’s a dark fruit compote going on here! While I can’t pick out all these individually, it gives me vibes of figs, cranberries, cherries, plums, all mashed up into one delicious spread. Then take that dark fruit compote and spread it on some warm rye bread. That’s the bulk of this taste. It’s lovely! I also pick up on a mild amount of oak and barrel char. The mouthfeel is a little thinner than I thought based on the appearance, however, it still coats the mouth very well.

Finish: This is the most “rye whiskey” part of this pour. It’s got a decent amount of spice, an earthiness, and sweet oak, but the sweetness from the nose and palate carry through to the finish, preventing the rye whiskey from ever truly standing out. There’s a very mild hug that is quite delayed.

Rating: 8.5/10

Overall: This was a stellar pour! I love how the nose, palate, and finish were all very different experiences with sweet dark fruit being a common note that’s carried through the whole thing. I was initially astounded by how much flavor was packed into this for being less than 100 proof, but the more I think on it, a lot of the notes that stand out the most I think are more attributed to the port wine barrel finishing. Honestly, it’s almost like the port was dumped out of the barrels when they were at really hot temperatures, allowing a lot to stay soaked into the wooden staves. And then when the whiskey was dumped, it was at really low temps allowing all that absorbed port to be pushed into the barrel in the colder temps. All that to say I wish the rye whiskey character would shine through a little more. Potentially either a higher proof or just different finishing technique could allow that to happen and let the finish have a little more pizazz. That said, this is an extremely fun and interesting sip!

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect